Drinking cup for fowl



May 25, 1943. H. w; HART 2.319.928

DRINKING CUP FOR FOWL Filed March 15, 1941 Patented May 25, 1943 f I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRINKING CUP FOR sown Harold W. Hart, Glendale, Calif. Application March 15, 1941, Serial No. 383,599

Claims. (c1. 119-75) My invention relates to drinking cups for fowl, particularly for chickens and pigeons, and it has among its salient objects to provide a small, individual drinking cup, with a valve-controlled connection thereto from a source of water suply, said valve having a part extended into the drinking cup in such position that the bill or beak of the fowl will engage it and result in causing the valve to leak slightly each time it is engaged, whereby to maintain sufficient water in the cup without any overflow or dripping.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be brought out in the course of the detailed description of one practical embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a full size of drinking cup embodying my invention, connected through the side of a container;

Figure 2 is a plan view looking down on a pipe having two of my drinking cups connected thereinto;

Figure 3 is a greatly enlarged, sectional View to show the interior construction and arrangement and the connection through the wall of a pipe or container; and

Figures 4-. and 5 are views taken on the lines 4-4, and 5-5, respectively on Fig. 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, my invention as here illustrated for explanatory purposes, comprises a small drinking cup 6, having a valve case or housing 1 secured through one side thereof, and welded or otherwise made a part of the cup, said valve case or body having a threaded end 1' adapted to be screwed into the side of a pipe 8, or to be secured through the wall of a container 9, with washer and fastening nut, as at l0.

Any suitable valve arrangement; can be used within this valve case or housing, but the arrangement shown has been found to be simple, practical and highly efficient. In the tapered or conical inner end of the case I provide a tapered valve element H, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3, with shoulder or collar portion II, to bear upon the annular inner shoulder [2 of said valve case or body.

Also mounted within said valve body is an annular member [3, having a tapered end, I3, and adapted to receive therethrough a rubber or other suitable valve member M, of somewhat T- shape, whereby it closes down over the tapered end of said insert member 13, as indicated, the stem of said T-shaped member being extended to near the inner end of the tapered valve elemerit ll, so that when said element 1 i is engaged by the bill or beak of the chicken putting its head into the cup, it will cause a slight movement of said valve member l4, and sufficient to permit a little leakage before it closes again. A screen. I5 is inset in the end of said valve body to prevent any foreign matter or sediment from getting into the valve,

It will be understood that the pressure of the water in the container is suflicient to normally close the valve member 14, and that a slight movement of said valve member inwardly will be sufficient to keep the little cup supplied with water without overflowing or dripping. There are valves adapted to be engaged by the chicken reaching up under theproj ecting valve, and while these work satisfactorily, they also drip more or less on to the ground and cause considerable muddiness. This little individual cup overcome-s this serious objection and saves a consider-able amount of water in course of time. In actual practice, the drinking cup as here represented has proved to be highly successful, economical and sanitary. If any sand or other small particles get into the cup, the drinking and picking by the chicken keeps it clean.

While I have shown and described in detail one practical embodiment of my drinking cup, I am aware that changes in details can be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not, therefore, limit the invention to the showing made, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. A drinking device for fowl including a cup, a valve body having means at one end for connecting it with a source of water supply, and at its other end connected through the side of said cup, intermediate its top and bottom, a valve seat in said valve body, a valve element seated in said valve seat and projecting therefrom into the interior of said cup to be engaged by the beak of a fowl. an annular valve seat within said valve body. a second valve element of flexible material wholly within said valve body and. seated upon said valve seat with a central part thereof extended through said valve seat toward and adjacent said first valve element, said second valve element being held closed by water pressure, the central part of said second valve element being movable by said first valve element, when the latteris moved into engagement therewith by the fowl.

2. A drinking device for fowl including an individual cup, a valve body connected at one end with a source of water supply and at its other end connected through the side of said cup and projecting thereinto, a floating valve element seated in the end of said valve body and projecting through the end thereof into said cup, an annular valve seat in said valve body, a second valve element seated thereon within said body and having a central extension through said annular valve seat to proximity with said first valve element and adapted to be engaged thereby and moved by it when said first valve element is moved by a fowl, whereby to permit slight leakage past both of said valve elements into said cup.

3. A drinking device for fowl including a cup, a valve body connected at one end with a source of water supply and at its other end connected through the cup to the interior thereof, twe valve seats wholly within said valve body, two separate floating valve elements in said valve body, one in the end thereof, projecting into said cup, to be engaged and moved by the engagement of the beak of a fowl therewith, and the other in the interior of said valve body and having a part extended to proximity of said first valve element to be engaged and moved by it when it is moved, whereby to unseat said second valve element slightly to permit intermittent leakage.

4. A drinking device for fowl including a cup, a valve body having means at one end for connecting it with a source of Water supply, and at its other end connected through the side of said cup, intermediate its top and bottom, a valve seat in the outer end of said valve body, a disconnected valve element seated in said valve seat, within the outer end of said valve body and projecting therefrom into the interior of said cup, an annular valve seat within said valve body having a frusto-conical inner end, with passageway therethrough, a valve element of flexible material within said valve body and seated on said frusto-conical valve seat and having an outer annular overlying lip portion to fit over said frusto-conical valve seat and a central portion extended through said passageway, whereby water pressure seats said valve element upon said frusto-conical valve seat and presses said annular lip portion inwardly upon said frusto-conical seat, the portion extended through the passageway of said annular valve seat being positioned to be engaged and moved by said first valve element, in the outer end of said valve body, when it is moved by the beak of a fowl drinking from said cup.

5. In a drinking device for fowl, a cup to hold water, a valve body connected at one end with a source of water supply and at its other end connected through the wall of said cup to the interior thereof, a frusto-conical valve seat within said valve body, a valve element seated over said frusto-conical valve seat and having a central extension through said frusto-conical valve seat and projecting toward the discharge end of said valve body, said valve element being held closed by water pressure thereon, a movable element in the end of said valve body, projecting into said cup, and adapted to be engaged and moved by the beak of a fowl drinking from said cup, the movement of said element by said fowl operating to engage and move said valve element slightly to cause leakage into said cup.

HAROLD W. HART. 

